S18.E11: Blind Ambitions

[biakbiak]

5 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

Regarding Kristin mentioning lack of confidence in her season, I think maybe she meant Restaurant Wars when she was executive chef. I think she felt uncomfortable having authority over her peers and because of that she let Josie get away with crap food.

I agree though it’s a double edged sword many including Tom admired her for her decision that as executive chef she should live and die in every plate that went out. 

[BlackberryJam]

I'm an oldie, and I find over-the-top emoters to be tiresome. The same with constant giggling that we see from Shota, Jaime and Sara. I just try to be charitable to these young, inexperienced, chefs who really aren't "camera trained." They don't have press agents and media relations coordinators and what have you to go over how they look and come off on camera. 

I'm looking at them with my old and experienced eye thinking, "Oh, you're going to regret that one day."

I'm also trying not to judge them based on that not-camera-trained awkwardness. I think Maria is brash, and a little loud, and probably a lot funnier in person, when you spend a lot of time hearing her and talking to her rather than just the sound bites. I think Sara is just awful in talking heads, but probably a solid friend. Jaime, oh Jaime, that silliness just seems like such a front to hide her awkward. Shota is really charming, but he also really wants to be liked. 

Personality-wise,  I prefer Dawn's quiet self-assurance, but she's an Olympian. She has experience with cameras, media, etc.

That being said, I want their food. All of it. 

[staphdude]

On 6/11/2021 at 12:56 AM, ProudMary said:

I honestly don't get what's inspiring all the Jamie and Maria hate. I'm not against jumping on the villain train when it's been warranted in past seasons, but I haven't seen anything among this bunch but good people excelling under difficult circumstances all season long. (I'm aware of the Gabe situation, but even in his case, we haven't seen that on-screen.) Evidently, mileage varies. 😕

Everyone experiences people in a different way. Gabriel seemed to elicit lots of hate earlier in the season so I can certainly see that there are parts of both Maria and Jaime's personalities that people find grating.

On 6/13/2021 at 2:55 AM, iggysaurus said:

I’m in the camp who disliked Maria all along and was glad she finally left.  She just seemed to have a massive chip on her shoulder and a weirdly passive aggressive attitude the whole season. As if she somehow has always had it harder than literally every human on earth. 

I’m not fond of Jamie either. The cutesy noises are grating.  I’m sure she’s a nice person but as a TV personality, I am not a fan. 

A couple people mentioned that Gabe’s misconduct charge might not be a big deal because we don’t know if it was sexual in nature. Why would that make it okay? If he was found to have, say, embezzled huge amounts of money from a restaurant he worked at, or flouted food safety protocols to an extent that people died or something (just to think of 2 random hypothetical examples of misconduct), that would still be bad and make me not exactly want to root for him to win Top Chef. YMMV of course. 

He may be no Drew Dreschel but fireable offences usually imply some severe character defect. Given how far he has gone in the competition there is no way they could edit around him...Didn't that happen when Batali was a recent Judge?

21 hours ago, TzuShih said:

I suspect that when Padma said "game," she might have been thinking "competition."   I somehow doubt that she meant to 'trivialize' the cheftestants - and she seems to show genuine respect for the grueling efforts they all put in .

This is a game. At this point no one stumbles on to a reality show being so naive as to believe they won't be separated from their families for a significant period of time or that there isn't a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that everyone wants.

Edited June 14, 2021 by staphdude

[whinewithwine]

2 minutes ago, staphdude said:

Didn't that happen when Batali was a recent Judge?

I'm thinking it was John Besh, but you're right.  No way to edit around Gabe.

[Dena0033]

3 minutes ago, whinewithwine said:

I'm thinking it was John Besh, but you're right.  No way to edit around Gabe.

I think they edited around Johnny Iuzzini during Top Chef Colorado. They just cut him out of the Stanley Hotel episode. 

 

[ree1778]

 

  "ON 6/12/2021 AT 1:04 AM, SHARIFA70 SAID:

I’ve only been able to find that he violated unspecified policies and rules of conduct, but haven’t seen anything that says it was specifically sexual misconduct. Has there been a more recent story that gave additional details?

All I have found are articles saying that the restaurant said that Gabe was fired for repeated violations for a behavior that was "in conflict with our values", whatever that means.  The actual nature of the offense is never specified. "

It could be that he was accused of things that were never proven, but there was underlying doubt so they let him go. It also could be an old photo surfaced that showed him in a situation that would now be considered racist so they let him go. It could also be someone knowing he was on Top Chef being jealous and making accusations that could be a lie, but would make the owners let him go. In my book every one is innocent until it's obvious they're guilty. In today's society it's pretty darn easy to get someone fired.

After watching Gabe week after week I can't imagine him doing something horrible, I just can't. He seems far too easy going and kind. Until I hear an actual story that can be believed, he's on the good guy side for me.

Now Maria and Jamie... they are not my favorites although I prefer Maria. I didn't like her at first, but she's grown on me. Jamie can't get off my screen fast enough, she's just super annoying to me. The whole performance at Judges Table really made me angry on Maria's behalf. Maria doesn't need your charity Jamie. It was Maria's moment, it was her turn to hear how good she was and how she is totally where she belongs and deserves her spot. It was not time for Jamie to hog all the attention. Even here on the forum it's like more people are talking about how real and wonderful Jamie is, when we should be talking about how wonderful Maria is. Jamie took Maria's moment and turned it into Jamie's moment. Whether she did it on purpose or not, the result is the same.

[JenMcSnark]

On 6/13/2021 at 4:07 PM, sharifa70 said:

Whatever works! Keep practicing and you might even graduate to “Glisan” (Gleeson) and “Couch” (rhymes with pooch)! 

Also: now I want to try panuchos, which I had never heard of before this episode. When things start opening up a little more I have some food-related exploration to do in Portland!

Take me with you!

[AriAu]

So, I have thought about this for several days and as heart warning and seemingly touching as Jamie's actions seemed to be, it was actually really, really immature. "I want her to have another chance like I had...but no, I don"t want to go home" is pretty childish. There are consequences for every decision/ask  and she wanted an ask without consequences. I have nothing against Jamie and she has been a good cheftestant-this is not an attack on her, just a commentary on what she wanted.

This is the way the game is played each and every week of each and every season-someone goes home, and sometimes it happens even when you make a good dish/didn't screw up and sometimes a better chef goes home under the rules in effect that day. To ask for Maria to have another chance isnt how the game is played-LCK ends at some point each and every season and we are at that point.

On a positive note, Maria must be a far nicer person in person than she is edited to appear since  everyone was very upset she was going home. i thought she was kind of obnoxious through the Gabriel thing, but the reactions to her elimination paints her in a better light...and I guess him in a worse light!

All that being said, Dawn, Shota and Gabe hae been the class of the competition pretty much the whole time so the fact they are here is no surprise. And to steal from the Pack Your Knives podcast, "has Dawn made a bad dish yet...even when she doesnt get everything on the plate, it is still great"

[FormerMod-a1]

While we do allow some leeway on a few off-topic posts, any further discussion of Gabe that does NOT relate to this episode specifically should take to the Cheftestents thread.  Some post have been moved there already.

[PackYourKnives]

On 6/13/2021 at 12:08 AM, Fukui San said:

I want to echo something that was said on the Pack Your Knives podcast. I'm really glad that Shota has come on and really showcased the depth and variety of Japanese cuisine. We usually hear Japanese food and think about sushi, teppanyaki and noodles and I'm not sure he's done any of that all season while cooking Japanese food throughout. Instead it's been a lot of braises, stews, and peasant food. It makes me wish that he was an Iron Chef in a properly run Iron Chef franchise. He has a solid base in his home cuisine while able to adapt such as when he copied Maria's techniques to make spicy food. 

Shota ALMOST became an Iron Chef but lost to Stephanie Izard and Sarah from Texas on "The Next Iron Chef". They kept sending him into elimination, sad. 

[PackYourKnives]

I'm probably going to get in some trouble for this post, but there is absolutely no way Shota is going to lose this unless the "circumstances" of the situation regarding the filming and cultural movement at the time override the food. They are purposely hiding his edit involving Tom imo, as we barely get any comments from him involving Shota's cooking.

 

 

I trust that will be the deciding factor, but nothing would surprise me. 

 

Edited June 17, 2021 by PackYourKnives

[Irlandesa]

Factoring the wins in this episode, they're all running pretty evenly.  In fact, Dawn and Gabe pulled a little ahead, I think, with their wins in the ep.

As much as I like Jamie, if she wins, that would be a shocking twist. But the others?  Any could win.

 

Edited June 17, 2021 by Irlandesa

[PackYourKnives]

My new prediction is that Dawn doesn't plate everyones' food if she makes F2 and that's part of what costs her the win. 

[paramitch]

So I'm late watching this and the lights are off, but oh well, I'll comment anyway in case anyone visits. 😅 As this is the first Top Chef episode I've ever seen that had me in actual tears. The fact that it was viewed by so many as manipulative and tedious really shocks me and is just far more cynical than I can be after 2+ years of pandemic. For me it cemented the fact that this season has been more human and kind, and I'm all for it.

On 6/10/2021 at 6:14 PM, ProudMary said:

In all the seasons of Top Chef, I can't recall ever seeing this emotional level of homesickness. I have to think that the limitations placed on all cast and crew of the show, compounded the normal into something above and beyond. This pandemic has changed us all so deeply, in ways we may not even yet comprehend.

This. Exactly, and beautifully expressed.

On 6/10/2021 at 8:27 PM, Bad Example said:

I could only think of OG Miss Alli, "This isn't The Amazing Top Montessori School".

Oh, man, you made me flash back to the glory days of TWOP and now I'm all nostalgic.

I am a very similar personality type to Jamie, so I simply don't get all the accusations that she is putting on her behavior. All of which has been very spontaneous and in-the-moment (and, to my mind, impossible to act in any kind of studied manner). So she's a misfit and makes funny noises to describe things. I don't get what's wrong with that. I personally adore her.

On 6/10/2021 at 9:56 PM, ProudMary said:

I honestly don't get what's inspiring all the Jamie and Maria hate. I'm not against jumping on the villain train when it's been warranted in past seasons, but I haven't seen anything among this bunch but good people excelling under difficult circumstances all season long. (I'm aware of the Gabe situation, but even in his case, we haven't seen that on-screen.) Evidently, mileage varies. 😕

This, this, this! Thank you.

On 6/11/2021 at 6:16 AM, Macbeth said:

I don't understand it either.  It's just really, really sad to see.  The chefs are exhausted and homesick.  With Covid they appear to be a very tight knit group.  Jamie offering to take Maria's place was a lovely gesture.  

100% agreed (and with @Rai's similar post as well). And it was spontaneous and heartfelt. She simply spoke up emotionally. If she hadn't, though, I'm sure some people would have blamed her anyway. This thread is living proof that some contestants can't win no matter what they express.

On 6/11/2021 at 12:34 PM, absolutelyido said:

I guess I am also cold-hearted, because Jaime pleading for Maria to stay annoyed me. I mean, is Jaime not familiar with the rules of Top Chef? Someone has to leave each week until they get down to one winner. That's it, that's the show they signed up for. Many great chefs are eliminated every season because only one person can win. If Jaime was so convinced that Maria deserved to stay, she should have volunteered to leave in her place. If she wasn't willing to do that, IMO, she had no business begging for Maria to stay. Maria lost the 5-chef round, it would have been unfair to Dawn, Shota and Gabe if they would have to compete in a 5-chef round again next week.

To answer you and @MerBearHou, it's easy to judge her for this coldly as "what you did was illogical." But she's obviously not a logical person and she was in a highly emotional situation. She spoke up spontaneously and it obviously moved almost everyone in the room. It doesn't mean she doesn't care about the competition. The poignant part was her realizing that she didn't want to give up her place for Maria -- but she would if Maria wanted her to. 

On 6/12/2021 at 8:56 AM, Heathrowe said:

I think the pandemic has made the judges soft or really affected the dynamics between the cheftestants and judges this season. Padma has been so warm and kind and...nice?! Tom's little speech to Maria about how they also learned from her was really moving. I feel like in past season's they would have just been like "buh-bye" but this seaon is very personal. I wonder if Padma having her own show has somehow changed her on screen person from sneery dominatrix (which I enjoyed!) to supportive headmistress (which I also enjoy!) - it's just different. 

Beautifully put. After the pandemic and challenges of the past few years, you can definitely see a slightly softer, kinder Top Chef this season among the judges, and I absolutely love that. 

On 6/13/2021 at 8:43 AM, Yeah No said:

I'd be willing to speculate that at least some of the dislike is generationally based.  To this almost 63 year old both of them look like they're manipulating their public images to elicit certain responses from the audience, and at least with some of that audience they're succeeding.  With Jamie it's, "look at meeeee", "Aren't I just too cute and funny?  You just have to love me because I'm so wonderful."  With Maria it's "I'm always the underdog, the victim, the one with the worst luck, not respected, etc." 

Huh? I am so flummoxed by this, and I'm middle-aged. Are you saying, seriously, that you think everything Jamie did was "acted" for the camera? As a film and theatre person, I don't see that at all. She's spontaneous and open, and she reacts very quickly, not in a way that appears studied or prepared in advance. So okay, she makes funny noises sometimes when she describes things. I find it endearing and real. Especially as I do it too (and I'm a writer, so obviously I fail at everything). Jamie was one of the rare people I've seen on TV where I went, "Oh, wow, I get her. She's like me." I'm a doofus and a misfit. I make goofy noises when I'm verklempt. I forget how to person at crucial moments. Etc.

I just hate that people are ascribing all these cynical motives and behaviors to Jamie when all I see is someone who is charming and awkward and who (miraculously) has found herself in a scenario where the judges and contestants appreciate her weirdness and support her.

On 6/14/2021 at 8:36 AM, BlackberryJam said:

I'm an oldie, and I find over-the-top emoters to be tiresome. The same with constant giggling that we see from Shota, Jaime and Sara. I just try to be charitable to these young, inexperienced, chefs who really aren't "camera trained." They don't have press agents and media relations coordinators and what have you to go over how they look and come off on camera. 

I'm looking at them with my old and experienced eye thinking, "Oh, you're going to regret that one day."

I'm also trying not to judge them based on that not-camera-trained awkwardness. I think Maria is brash, and a little loud, and probably a lot funnier in person, when you spend a lot of time hearing her and talking to her rather than just the sound bites. I think Sara is just awful in talking heads, but probably a solid friend. Jaime, oh Jaime, that silliness just seems like such a front to hide her awkward. Shota is really charming, but he also really wants to be liked. 

Personality-wise,  I prefer Dawn's quiet self-assurance, but she's an Olympian. She has experience with cameras, media, etc.

That being said, I want their food. All of it. 

I'm confused by this POV because it seems like you're asking for the show to bring on camera-trained cheftestants. When for me the best moments come from those who are being their real selves and who are NOT media trained. 

I'm a media publicist, and I can assure you, I don't want to watch a bunch of polished, cynical, glib, insincere cheftestants on this show (and I dislike those we've seen who fit that). I want to see real people, cooking, and journeys. I care about Jamie BECAUSE of (not despite) her funny noises—and Maria despite her insecurity. The idea that they need to clean this up to be presentable is really sad to me.

Also, @CrazyInAlabama, I swear to holy God, the greatest mystery of this season so far for me has been, "Which hairstyle is Padma's ACTUAL HAIR?" (I mean, she looks flawless regardless, but inquiring minds.)

Edited February 13, 2022 by paramitch
fixed quote

[BlackberryJam]

2 hours ago, paramitch said:

I'm confused by this POV because it seems like you're asking for the show to bring on camera-trained cheftestants. When for me the best moments come from those who are being their real selves and who are NOT media trained.

Not even a little. My comment was part of a larger conversation about why these chefs were so annoying to so many people. 

The best moments of the show are related to the food, not the personalities.

[EllaWycliffe]

3 hours ago, paramitch said:

So I'm late watching this and the lights are off, but oh well, I'll comment anyway in case anyone visits. 😅 As this is the first Top Chef episode I've ever seen that had me in actual tears. The fact that it was viewed by so many as manipulative and tedious really shocks me and is just far more cynical than I can be after 2+ years of pandemic. For me it cemented the fact that this season has been more human and kind, and I'm all for it.

I have to agree. I actually found it compelling to see a contestant on one of these things willing to be a little more real and a little less cutthroat.  I know something that annoys me with the MasterChef franchise when people compare the kids to the adults and praise the kids for being kind and good sports and folks, if Gordan told a ten year old he was a dumbass for sharing ingredients and was going to be judged harshly for forgetting it was a competition, you can sure as fuck guarantee the kids would get a lot more cutthroat just like the adults do. I thought it was genuine on Jamie's part and I really appreciated how the judges handled it without treating it like Jamie was being ridiculous.